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Possible Duplicate:
IE homepage set to some site I don’t know about

Originally I set my IE 8 home page as Google.
After some time, it's been changed to http://assistmypc.org

This keeps happening all the time.

Could this be due to a virus running on my PC?

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are you asking "how programmatically was your browser's home page set? Or were you asking "my browsers home page was set, do I have a virus?" One can be related to SO and one is not. – Anthony Forloney Jan 25 '10 at 14:47
» If your question is about … general computer software or hardware troubleshooting, ask on Super User.« – from the FAQ (stackoverflow.com/faq). Just wait a while and the question should get migrated. – Joey Jan 25 '10 at 14:48
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This is a notorious spyware issue. You should be running some anti-spyware software to remove the offending nuisance. Check into MalwareBytes, Microsoft Security Essentials or Spybot Search & Destroy – Scott Anderson Jan 25 '10 at 14:49
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migrated from stackoverflow.com Jan 25 '10 at 14:52

This question came from our site for professional and enthusiast programmers.

closed as exact duplicate by random♦, quack quixote, Diago Feb 7 '10 at 9:25

This question covers exactly the same ground as earlier questions on this topic; its answers may be merged with another identical question. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

3 Answers

up vote 3 down vote

Whilst it can be numerous things, it most likely is down to a virus.

My general advise for similar situations:

Start with a good tool such as Spybot Search and Destroy or Malwarebytes Anti Malware and perform a full scan.

After this has finished, use Microsoft / Sysinternals Autoruns and look through most of the tabs (you especially want to pay close attention to Logon and Scheduled tasks) and delete most of the items that you think are viruses or research them first.

Next, protect your system with a good antivirus. I personally recommend Microsoft Security Essentials.

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+1 for this. Plus, be sure to turn off System restore if you are using an OS that supports it. Much malware has a way of "hiding" in the system restore area and restoring itself after a reboot – Dave M Jan 25 '10 at 15:44
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up vote 0 down vote

This could be due to any legitimate program too but mostly this is done by spyware and other types of programs and toolbars. I would recommend to run a spyware test on your computer by downloading any anti-spyware software.

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up vote 0 down vote

It probably is a virus. (or spyware)

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